This book provides a massive amount of new research on several popular and less-examined topics pertaining to the relationship between economics and aging. Among the many themes explored in this ...
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This book provides a massive amount of new research on several popular and less-examined topics pertaining to the relationship between economics and aging. Among the many themes explored in this volume, considerable attention is given to new research on retirement savings, the cost and efficiency of medical resources, and the predictors of health events. The volume begins with a discussion of the risks and merits of 401(k) plans. Subsequent chapters present recent analysis of the growth of Medicare costs; the different aspects of disability; and the evolution of health, wealth, and living arrangements over the life course. Keeping with the global tradition of previous volumes, the book also includes comparative studies on savings behavior in Italy, the Netherlands, and the United States; an examination of household savings among different age groups in Germany; and a chapter devoted to population aging and the plight of widows in India.Less

Analyses in the Economics of Aging

Published in print: 2005-08-03

This book provides a massive amount of new research on several popular and less-examined topics pertaining to the relationship between economics and aging. Among the many themes explored in this volume, considerable attention is given to new research on retirement savings, the cost and efficiency of medical resources, and the predictors of health events. The volume begins with a discussion of the risks and merits of 401(k) plans. Subsequent chapters present recent analysis of the growth of Medicare costs; the different aspects of disability; and the evolution of health, wealth, and living arrangements over the life course. Keeping with the global tradition of previous volumes, the book also includes comparative studies on savings behavior in Italy, the Netherlands, and the United States; an examination of household savings among different age groups in Germany; and a chapter devoted to population aging and the plight of widows in India.

This book investigates several important issues in the economics of aging, including the accumulation of wealth and the relationship between health and financial prosperity. Examining the changes in ...
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This book investigates several important issues in the economics of aging, including the accumulation of wealth and the relationship between health and financial prosperity. Examining the changes in savings behavior and investment priorities in the United States over the past few decades, it points to a dramatic shift from employer-managed, defined benefit pensions to employee-controlled retirement savings plans. Further, the legislative reforms of the 1980s and the booming stock market of the 1990s did their share to influence individual wealth accumulation patterns of Americans. The book also explores the relationship between health status and economic status. Considering issues like pension income and health, mortality, and medical care, it presents evidence from the United States, Britain, South Africa, and Russia. The volume culminates with wide-ranging discussions on a number of key topics in the field including the innovations that have contributed to a decline in mortality rates; the various medical advances that have benefited populations over time; and the determinants of expenditures on health. The findings with regard to cross-sectional differences in health outcomes and health care utilization also pose troubling questions for policymakers seeking to democratize health care across regions and races.Less

Perspectives on the Economics of Aging

Published in print: 2004-07-10

This book investigates several important issues in the economics of aging, including the accumulation of wealth and the relationship between health and financial prosperity. Examining the changes in savings behavior and investment priorities in the United States over the past few decades, it points to a dramatic shift from employer-managed, defined benefit pensions to employee-controlled retirement savings plans. Further, the legislative reforms of the 1980s and the booming stock market of the 1990s did their share to influence individual wealth accumulation patterns of Americans. The book also explores the relationship between health status and economic status. Considering issues like pension income and health, mortality, and medical care, it presents evidence from the United States, Britain, South Africa, and Russia. The volume culminates with wide-ranging discussions on a number of key topics in the field including the innovations that have contributed to a decline in mortality rates; the various medical advances that have benefited populations over time; and the determinants of expenditures on health. The findings with regard to cross-sectional differences in health outcomes and health care utilization also pose troubling questions for policymakers seeking to democratize health care across regions and races.

This chapter provides new evidence suggesting that transfer wealth accounts for approximately 20 to 25 percent of current household net worth, using the 1998 Survey of Consumer Finances. This figure ...
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This chapter provides new evidence suggesting that transfer wealth accounts for approximately 20 to 25 percent of current household net worth, using the 1998 Survey of Consumer Finances. This figure is calculated in two ways, both of which yield quite similar results: direct survey evidence, and estimating of the flow of transfers in 1998 using an improved methodology that accounts for the correlation between wealth and mortality and converting this into a stock of transfer wealth. In addition to the methodological improvement, new estimates are useful because the composition of household wealth has changed substantially over the past several decades. Second, the chapter examines the heterogeneity of the size of transfers received and expected. It demonstrates that while in aggregate, transfer wealth does not appear to be as large as some prior estimates suggest, it is nonetheless quite important for a small subset of the population.Less

Intergenerational Transfers and Savings Behavior

Jeffrey R. BrownScott J. Weisbenner

Published in print: 2004-07-10

This chapter provides new evidence suggesting that transfer wealth accounts for approximately 20 to 25 percent of current household net worth, using the 1998 Survey of Consumer Finances. This figure is calculated in two ways, both of which yield quite similar results: direct survey evidence, and estimating of the flow of transfers in 1998 using an improved methodology that accounts for the correlation between wealth and mortality and converting this into a stock of transfer wealth. In addition to the methodological improvement, new estimates are useful because the composition of household wealth has changed substantially over the past several decades. Second, the chapter examines the heterogeneity of the size of transfers received and expected. It demonstrates that while in aggregate, transfer wealth does not appear to be as large as some prior estimates suggest, it is nonetheless quite important for a small subset of the population.